Avalanche player suffered fractured neck on ugly hit, somehow returned to game
Colorado Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano suffered a fractured neck as a result of a hit from Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle during Game 6 of the Western Conference series on Friday night.
The news of that injury is jarring enough, but what is even more more jarring is the fact Cogliano somehow returned to the game in the third period.
Despite that, he is now considered to be out indefinitely.
Here is a look at the play.
That is not a good hit by Eberle, and you can see Cogliano's head go into the boards awkwardly and dangerously.
Eberle was only assessed a two-minute minor for boarding on the play.
He also received no supplemental discipline from the NHL's Department of Player Safety for the hit in the form of a fine or suspension. That is also a stunning development from that. The Department of Player Safety has come under fire in recent years for not being harsh enough on hits and seemingly turning away from dishing out suspensions for dangerous plays.
That department is run by George Parros, a former longtime NHL enforcer who made his career by fighting and doing nothing else in the league. Not exactly the type of person you might think of when you hear the words "department of player safety."
It is also a bad look for the Avalanche for allowing Cogliano to return to the game given how significant his injury turned out to be. NHL players love to talk about how tough the sport is, and playing through pain and injury is seen as a normal, accepted thing. Maybe even a required thing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. There is a fine line between toughness and reckless. Cogliano returning to the game jumped over that line.
The Avalanche won the game, 4-1, to force a Game 7 in the series on Sunday. That game will be played in Colorado as the Avalanche look to continue their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
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